It’s been quite a few years since the Concorde last graced the skies. Nearing two decades since its last service, there still isn’t another commercial jet that inspires such awe and rumbling power.

While there are plenty of videos out there about the Concorde, there are relatively few videos showing the entire departure sequence without narration. This video is that rare gem showing the entire sequence of takeoff and departure.

In the video, you’ll see British Airways Concorde ‘Speedbird Flight 2’ depart from JFK on Runway 31L. One of the first things you’ll notice is how the captain pushes forward the throttles to MAX with gusto. Within seconds, you’ll hear the Rolls Royce Olympus 593 engines roar with their afterburners (or reheat) come to life. At this point, the jet engines are producing 152,000 of thrust. About 20 seconds later, the first officer announces 100 knots, then rotates. The Concorde then gracefully lifts off followed by an immediate left turn to join the departure and climb to an initial altitude of 5,000 feet. The departure routing keeps the noisy supersonic-capable jet clear of land as much as possible for noise abatement purposes. Within minutes, the crew pulls the power back to normal climb power as the jet continues to accelerate to Mach .75. The crew then cleans up the jet, performs the after takeoff checklist including the stowing of the landing lights, and then settles in to prepare for the Mach 2+ ocean crossing.

Watching the Concorde was a special thing to see. It is still hard to believe that such an advanced piece of technology is sitting in a museum today with nothing to replace it. Hopefully we’ll soon see some supersonic airliners return to the skies within the next decade.

Title Photo is a combination of a screen shot from the Youtube video by Pilot Benjamin and image from Eduard Marmet (CC 3.0).

Dallas Love Field paused today for a tremendous sight. The welcomed a hero home. Fifty two years ago, a young 5 year old boy said goodbye to his dad at Love Field. His dad, Capt (posthumously promoted to Colonel) Roy A. Knight, was deploying to Vietnam.

Col Knight first enlisted in the Air Force in 1947. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1953, serving as a personnel officer before being accepted into pilot training in 1957. He served as an instructor pilot at Laughlin AFB in Del Rio, Texas before receiving orders to report to the 602nd Tactical Fighter Squadron.

According to the The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), “in May 1967, Knight was a pilot with the 602nd Tactical Fighter Squadron, assigned to Udorn Royal Thai Air Base, Thailand. On May 19, 1967, Knight was leading a flight of two A-1E aircraft on a strike mission in northern Laos, when his aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire. No parachute was observed prior to the aircraft crashing and bursting into flames. Additionally, no beeper signals were heard. While search and rescue efforts were initiated, an organized search could not be conducted due to intensity of hostile ground fire in the area. The Air Force declared Knight deceased in September 1974.”

An initial investigation of the site found life support equipment but no remains. The site was investigated four additional times. Fast forward to February of 2019 when the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency found human remains. Those remains were sent back to the lab where they utilized dental records and other evidence to positively identify Col Knight this past June.

Today was a day for heroes

The discovery of Col Knights remains set the stage for the beautiful scene at Dallas Love Field. At the same airport where a youngster said goodbye to his dad, that same now-grown man, flew his dad home one last time as the captain of Southwest flight 1228. For a moment, the busyness of a major airport paused as they watched the solemn dignified transfer ceremony take place. Southwest Airlines captured the moment with a very respectful video to capture the unique event and help share the story of a hero, who was lost but is now found…and home.

Thank you Col Knight for your service and sacrifice. Thank you to Captain Bryan Knight for your enduring strength and tremendous sacrifice. Today was yours and your family deserved every moment. Your father’s legacy and your family’s devotion to keep his memory alive continues to make an impact 52 years later with plenty of tears and warm feelings of knowing that a hero is finally back home and at rest.

During the third quarter of 2018, Delta Air Lines filed a request to the United States Department of Transportation to begin a Minneapolis/Saint Paul to Shanghai-Pudong flight. While there hasn’t been an announcement yet, many are hoping for the route to materialize. If the DOT approves, Delta could begin flying this route as early as June 2020. They plan on using their flagship aircraft, the Airbus A350-900, which consists of 32 Delta One Suites, 48 Delta Premium Select seats, and 226 main cabin seats.

Delta’s proposed route from Minneapolis to Shanghai will be a game changer for both Delta. The flight will make it easier for Minnesotans to fly to China directly, but people from cities in South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa, and to a lesser extent, Wisconsin. They will be able to save money by driving to Minneapolis rather than flying to Detroit or Chicago if they want to fly to China. Even if they choose to fly, they can easily connect through Minneapolis without multiple stops, especially since Delta is the only airline that flies to some of the smaller cities in the upper Midwest. Overall, this new flight will allow people more opportunities in deciding which city to connect to when they want to fly to China.

The flight will also make it much easier for tourists in China to get to Minneapolis and flock over to the Mall of America, undoubtedly Minnesota’s biggest and most well known attraction. Already, there are 100,000 tourists from China who fly to Minneapolis to visit the Mall of America. Unfortunately for these tourists, most aren’t lucky enough to live in a city that has a direct flight to the United States, requiring a two-stop connection to get to Minneapolis. If this direct route becomes a reality, people will only have to connect once from their home city, which saves a lot of hassle, time, and money. The hope is that it will lead to an increase surge in tourists from China to Minnesota and it will generate significant return for the city of Minneapolis and the state of Minnesota.

The hope of this new service is that Minnesota will lead to greater recognition internationally. Unfortunately, Minnesota-in my opinion- tends to be a very underrated tourist destination, despite having the biggest indoor Mall and Waterpark in the United States as well as many historical sights, art museums, natural parks, and more. When I talk to Chinese citizens about where they want to visit in the United States, they will usually name cities like Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, and Seattle. When I ask them if they’ve heard about Minneapolis, most will say “no.” However, I ask them if they’ve heard of Atlanta, they usually say “yes.” This is because all of these cities either have extremely big recognition as tourist destinations or a direct flight to China. If the direct flight from China to Minnesota becomes a reality, then Minnesota will most likely gain the international recognition it deserves.

Ultimately, if the Minneapolis/Saint Paul to Shanghai-Pudong flight comes to fruition, there will be a much deeper impact for travel between the United States and China rather than merely seeing it as another route that just helps Minnesotans and Chinese tourists wanting to travel to Minnesota.

The queen of the skies is rapidly approaching retirement with most airlines. In fact, all major US passenger operators retired their fleets over the past few years. Today, the only way to dependably see a passenger carrying Boeing 747 is to look for foreign flagged carriers like British Airways, Korean Air, or Lufthansa.

As you probably remember, Delta retired their 747 fleet back in early 2018. TWA retired their fleet of 747 classics back in 1998. But there is one airport where both Delta 747-400s and even a classic TWA 747 still sit nearby each other. Unfortunately, they aren’t parked at a gate waiting for their next flight from JFK to Paris. Instead, they are retired in the desert and far from airworthy. The Marana Pinal Boneyard located just outside Tucson, Arizona is the perfect resting place for retired airliners. The climate is dry with plenty of space to park fleets of jets who are aged and superseded by more efficient technology.

You would think by now that a TWA 747-100 that has been retired for over 20 years would be fully broken up by now. But the value of the contents of the jet is so minimal that it has been rotting in the desert for quite a while. It’s only residual value is scrap.

On the other hand, the Delta Boeing 747-400s have a little more value (but not much). The engines and avionics still have value. Certain parts like the landing gear and other systems will be picked apart as spares before the aircraft is eventually crushed for scraps.

A flyby of the Airpark by Youtube user Crowd1011 shows the massive scale of the stripping and storing effort that takes place.

Other aircraft at the Marana Pinal Airpark include former Northwest 757s as well as an Air China 747-400 and an assortment of 737s both classics and NG. In the video below taken by Youtuber FlyFrontier259, you can see the lineup of jets taken while taxiing. While avgeeks cannot go out on the ramp, there are great viewing spots from nearby public roads. There is also a public park with a retired MD-80 on stilts.